ANSON FUNDERBURGH, BULLSEYE BLUES & JAZZ RECORDING ARTIST, ON HIS SIGNATURE SOUND

Every blues guitar player is known by a signature sound. So last fall, Anson Funderburgh was ready to explore something different. It was time to retire his 1964 Fender Reverb Amp and test out 2000 technology.

“I bought a Fender Super Reverb used in 1969,” said Anson. “I’ve dragged that amp around for all these years. I still love that amp, but I was looking something new that I could take on the road. I wanted something different, but not that different. I didn’t want to change up too many things, but on the other hand, I wanted something a little bit different. A friend named Tom Williams in Iowa was telling me about this new Doctor Z amp. It’s a class A, 38-watt amp called a Maz Invasion 38. I called Mike Zeigler, who runs the company. I tried it out and I loved it.”

“It’s got the same sound as my Super, but it has 12 inch speakers instead of 10 inch speakers. I always thought I would never like a 12 inch speaker, but this a really great little amp. It has the same clarity as the Super, but it has a bigger body. It’s very simple to run, two inputs and that’s it. It’s got bass, treble, reverb, and master volume, really basic stuff. It’s a hand wired, class A amp. The workmanship and quality is unbelievable.”

“I’m always wanting to try something new, but I’m skeptical that I won’t really like it. So I always end up going back to my old rig. I got this in June and I just fell in love with it. It had my sound, but with some subtle differences.”

He uses no pedals or tube screamer and simplest of equipment to produce his trademark picking. “I use a Fender heavy pick and medium strings, 11 through 50. For tone settings on the old Super, I ran the treble and middle between 8 and 10, and the bass on 3 or 4. I used about a 3 on the reverb. The amp sounded the best between 3 and 5.”

No fancy or elaborate ultra-modern guitar either, just the basics. When Anson hits the road he’s usually carrying the same three guitars. “I have a 1957 Fender Strat that I’ve had since the mid-1970’s. I don’t fly it over seas, but I’ve traveled all over this country. I have a 1953 Gibson ES 5 which is the big hollow body I also travel with. I also have a spare Strat
that goes. At home I have a 1959 custom Telecaster and a 1950’s Gibson ES 300. There’s just something about the sound from the older guitars. They’re just worked in, after so many years of being played through, the magnets have a warmer sound.”

“Junior Watson’s the reason I bought an ES 5. We were playing at a little place in Riverside called Carlos O’Brien’s and Junior brought his ES 5 to the show. I told him that I always loved the ES 5 and he said the he had his in his car. He told me it’s real simple, just volume, volume, volume and master tone. He brought the thing in and I just loved it. At the end of the night, he told me I should look for one.”

Year after year, Anson comfortably pilots the Rockets with his Strat or Gibson. Coupled with Anson’s unruffled personality, the band easily achieves a nightly perfection of sound for their fans around the world. “The way you
sound is very important, but I try to not let the quality of the sound bust the vibe. I’ve played where the sound isn’t so hot, but if the people are diggin’ it, I’ve got to rise above that and give them what they came for.”